Italy's Olympic Hockey Team: No NHL Stars on Tuesday's Roster

Host Italy will release its men’s Olympic hockey roster on Tuesday and TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston reports it will not include any NHL players. Italy named goaltender Damian Clara, forwards Diego Kostner, Daniel Mantenuto and Tommy Purdeller, and defencemen Thomas Larkin and Luca Zanatta as their first six players last summer. None of the first group has any NHL experience, though Clara was selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the second round of the 2023 draft, while Larkin was drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the fifth round of the 2009 draft. Johnston reports Italy chose not to seek out any heritage connections to get NHL players onto their roster. Italy will play their first game on the opening day of tournament on Feb. 11 against Sweden. The host country is also grouped with Finland and Slovakia in Group B. Every team will advance from the group round to the knockout stage, with the three group winners and the top second-place team advancing straight to the quarter-finals.